Ex MARCOS Commando’s Story Of 26/11 Attacks Will Send A Chill Down Your Spine

Shaurya Chakra awardee Praveen Teotia who took four bullets during 26/11 attacks, appeared on KBC 10 last night.Amitabh Bachchan welcomed ex-navy commando Praveen Teotia, who received Shaurya Chakra for saving 150 people during the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks at Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.

Host Amitabh Bachchan said that he feels honoured to welcome the brave heart on the show. Teotia hails from Bhatona village in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr. He quite proudly said that his village has produced 39 martyrs since World World I and 8 freedom fighters. Teotia joined navy when he was just a 17-year-old and volunteered for MARCOS training and successfully completed it.

The Shaurya Chakra awardee was accompanied by Rajveev Chauhan, who is also an ex-MARCOS and was a part of rescue mission during the Mumbai attacks. MARCOS, which was intially named Marine Commando Force, is Indian navy’s special forces unit that carries out special operations and their training is quite similar to US navy SEALs.

Teotia and Chuahan easily crossed the Rs 10,000 mark without using any of their lifelines. When Big B asked about the 26/11 attacks, Teotia narrated what happened on that fateful day, a story which will send a chill down your spine.

Two batches of MARCOS had already left for Mumbai and Teotia was a part of the third batch heading to Mumbai to combat the terrorists. When Teotia entered Taj with his other commandos, they could hear bullets being fired and saw blood splattered everywhere. He met a person who was trying to reach someone on the phone and wanted to go to sixth floor as his wife and two kids were there. He asked him not go there and tell them their location and they will try to rescue them. Later, he came to know that he was Taj’s general manager Karambir Singh Kang, who lost his wife and two kids in the attack. He appreciated the way he gave priority to his guests and continued to serve Taj after the unfortunate incident.

Teotia was appointed the point man of his team. A point man is the guy who either hits the first bullet or takes the first bullet and is responsible for his team’s safety. He was the first one to enter the room, where the terrorists were hiding. As soon as he entered the room, he heard two sounds of AK 47’s safety catch, which means someone was getting ready to fire. He took his position and was ready to fire but before he could shoot, a bullet hit him and he was on the ground. A bullet had hit his ear and when he felt blood trickle down his neck. He gained consciousness and realised that he was alive. He experienced immense pain but didn’t give up and tried to keep the terrorists engaged. However, his teammates who were unable to communicate with him thought that he died and threw a tear gas inside. Teotia couldn’t help but cough due to suffocation. As soon as he coughed, a flurry of bullets were fired at him. He had two options, either to try and reach the door or sit there and die. He chose the first option to get up, face the enemy and get to the door. He fired round of bullets and was hit by three bullets on his chest before he reached the door.

Teotia took four bullets, lost an ear and damaged his lung during the operation to neutralise terrorists. After suffering bullet injuries Teotia was hearing impaired and could not be considered for active duty, under Indian Navy rules. He was assigned a desk job. But, he didn’t lose heart and worked on his fitness. Pranayam played a big role in getting him up and running. He began participating in marathons.

Last year, Teotia conquered the Khardung La Challenge, which is a 72-km marathon in Ladakh and arguably one of the toughest marathons in the world. In April, 2018 he won the prestigious Ironman Triathlon Championship 2018 in South Africa, which involves 3.86km swim, a 180.25km bicycle ride and a 42.2km running. He completed the race in 14 hours, 19 minutes and 38 seconds.

Praveen Teotia and Rajeev Chauhan won Rs 12.5 lakh before the game came to an end. Before the episode came to an end, Big B introduced them to some of the 26/11 survivors who thanked them for saving so many lives.